Snowy
Well-Known Member
Welcome to my rat blog! I hope you enjoy reading it and looking at the pictures.
First, a bit about me. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska with my fiance (P) and our multitude of animals (4 bunnies, 2 cockatiels, 5 rats). I'm going to school to be an elementary teacher. When I'm not studying or taking care of my pets, I like to goof around online, read, sew, play with my camera, and cook. In the summer, I like to mess around with plants and can't wait until we have a house so I can have an actual garden rather than just a container garden. P and I are getting married on August 1st of this year so I'm also doing a fair amount of wedding planning stuff.
On to the pets! Ratties first, of course. A bit of background: The only breeders you can find in Fairbanks (or anywhere within a few hundred miles, if not the whole state) are ones who breed rats for reptile food. Not a good choice! There were also no rescues when I got my first rats 3 years ago and I didn't see any on Petfinder in the 6 weeks before I finally got mine. I had to buy them at Petco because I didn't have any other choices. My first rats were 3 cute little girls. My 4th was a neutered boy who was from an accidental litter in a town about 9 hours from here. The girl's mom was threatening to drop him off at the pet store if we didn't take him, so we made the drive. After they passed on, I decided not to get any more and instead focused on my bunnies.
That all changed in October when we went to Petco to look at the parrots (something we do every couple of weeks, just for fun) and spotted a very obviously pregnant PEW rat in one of the aquariums they keep the rodents in. I begged P to let me get her because I felt so bad for her, being pregnant at a pet store and her and all her babies destined to be pet food. Paul wouldn't let me get her, but I went back 3 days later to see if she was still there. She was gone
I'm hoping someone nice took her home. I wandered around the rodent tanks, and stopped in front of the little baby girls. As I was watching, I saw one little girl run on the wheel, then stop and chase her tail. She finally caught it and groomed it. It was so cute! She was interrupted when one of the employees opened the tank and scooped out a couple of rats for some guy's reptiles. Before he could close the tank, I found myself telling him I wanted the girl in the wheel. I had him randomly pick one of the other rats so she wouldn't be alone. I picked up a few small rat care things and took my new girls home. Thankfully, P was not mad at me getting two new pets without asking (what a guy!) and I quickly fell in love with the baby PEWs who had never been handled. I named them Annabell (which means "lovable") and Lalita (which means "playful"- she was the one who was chasing her tail). Within the week, there was a Ferret Nation on it's way in the mail and I was collecting fabric to sew bedding for them. I also found and befriended forum member Pink, who has been VERY nice and helpful with my ratties. She has a rescue which I didn't know about when I bought the girls.
Here are some photos of my little girls. They were about 4-5 weeks old when I got them, and pretty shy and skittish. They have both come around a lot in the past couple months because I work with them every day. They are very sweet, adorable, active girls who run to me when they get scared. Annabell is the explorer of the two, while Lalita is more shy but also sweet and likes to explore too when she feels comfortable. Bella and Lita are polite little girls and use the litter box quite well, usually don't pee or poop outside of the cage, and are best friends. They are dainty little things and will be small when they grow up.
Annabell 5 weeks:
Lalita 5 weeks:
Annabell 8 weeks:
Lalita 8 weeks:
Lalita now:
Annabell now:
A couple days after Christmas, we took home 3 of Pink's rescue girls "on loan". They are wonderful little ladies. They actually came from the same girl we got Colby Jack (my boy rat who died last summer) from, she decided she didn't want them anymore and Pink was kind enough to take them in. Astrid and Gretchen are sisters and were born on my brother's birthday (October 4th), and Saskia came from a pet store but is about the same age. These girls are 15 1/2 months old right now. I fell in love with them very quickly, Astrid and Gretchen are both really outgoing and like to explore. Saskia is a little grouchier, but lovable nonetheless. These girls were causing issues at Pink's house because they aren't super fond of other rats, but we're hoping they will accept Annabell and Lalita since they are young still. If we can't make it work, Pink will allow us to bring them back and adopt 2 or 3 of her other girls, but we're really hoping they will accept each other and I am willing to work to make it happen!
Here are photos of the trio.
Astrid (PEW) and Gretchen (Himi)
Saskia
I forgot to buy a water bottle so they got to drink out of a mug the first night!
I also have 4 bunnies. I love my bunnies! This is Rory, he is almost 3. He is my special boy. He hates other bunnies and doesn't really care for people who aren't me, but he is very sweet and loves to cuddle with me when he feels like it.
This is Skyler. He turned 2 a couple weeks go. In December he was diagnosed with a very serious illness that will shorten his lifespan considerably. There will be many vet visits in the future for us as he deteriorates, but so far he is acting like his normal happy self in spite of being sick. He is a wonderful rabbit with a great personality. He loves everyone and follows me around.
Here is Phoebe Mae. She is my only girl and almost 1 1/2! She is also a great little bunny. She is loving but also pretty feisty and knows what she wants.
This is my Ned. He is the newest bunny addition and came to us rather unexpectedly back in May. He is a wonderful boy, very endearing and sweet. He is kind of clumsy and loves food more than anything else in the world.
And last of all, these are my 2 cockatiels. Arthur is the gray one, he is 11 years old and I've had him since he was a baby. Poppet is the yellow one, she is only about a year and a half old. They are best friends. They're both nice little birdies.
I've written a lot and posted a lot of pictures, but didn't want to leave anyone out! Feel free to ask me any questions and I'd be thrilled if anyone comments on my pets. I will try to update this journal on a regular basis and will undoubtedly post a lot of pictures.
First, a bit about me. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska with my fiance (P) and our multitude of animals (4 bunnies, 2 cockatiels, 5 rats). I'm going to school to be an elementary teacher. When I'm not studying or taking care of my pets, I like to goof around online, read, sew, play with my camera, and cook. In the summer, I like to mess around with plants and can't wait until we have a house so I can have an actual garden rather than just a container garden. P and I are getting married on August 1st of this year so I'm also doing a fair amount of wedding planning stuff.
On to the pets! Ratties first, of course. A bit of background: The only breeders you can find in Fairbanks (or anywhere within a few hundred miles, if not the whole state) are ones who breed rats for reptile food. Not a good choice! There were also no rescues when I got my first rats 3 years ago and I didn't see any on Petfinder in the 6 weeks before I finally got mine. I had to buy them at Petco because I didn't have any other choices. My first rats were 3 cute little girls. My 4th was a neutered boy who was from an accidental litter in a town about 9 hours from here. The girl's mom was threatening to drop him off at the pet store if we didn't take him, so we made the drive. After they passed on, I decided not to get any more and instead focused on my bunnies.
That all changed in October when we went to Petco to look at the parrots (something we do every couple of weeks, just for fun) and spotted a very obviously pregnant PEW rat in one of the aquariums they keep the rodents in. I begged P to let me get her because I felt so bad for her, being pregnant at a pet store and her and all her babies destined to be pet food. Paul wouldn't let me get her, but I went back 3 days later to see if she was still there. She was gone
I'm hoping someone nice took her home. I wandered around the rodent tanks, and stopped in front of the little baby girls. As I was watching, I saw one little girl run on the wheel, then stop and chase her tail. She finally caught it and groomed it. It was so cute! She was interrupted when one of the employees opened the tank and scooped out a couple of rats for some guy's reptiles. Before he could close the tank, I found myself telling him I wanted the girl in the wheel. I had him randomly pick one of the other rats so she wouldn't be alone. I picked up a few small rat care things and took my new girls home. Thankfully, P was not mad at me getting two new pets without asking (what a guy!) and I quickly fell in love with the baby PEWs who had never been handled. I named them Annabell (which means "lovable") and Lalita (which means "playful"- she was the one who was chasing her tail). Within the week, there was a Ferret Nation on it's way in the mail and I was collecting fabric to sew bedding for them. I also found and befriended forum member Pink, who has been VERY nice and helpful with my ratties. She has a rescue which I didn't know about when I bought the girls.Here are some photos of my little girls. They were about 4-5 weeks old when I got them, and pretty shy and skittish. They have both come around a lot in the past couple months because I work with them every day. They are very sweet, adorable, active girls who run to me when they get scared. Annabell is the explorer of the two, while Lalita is more shy but also sweet and likes to explore too when she feels comfortable. Bella and Lita are polite little girls and use the litter box quite well, usually don't pee or poop outside of the cage, and are best friends. They are dainty little things and will be small when they grow up.
Annabell 5 weeks:
Lalita 5 weeks:
Annabell 8 weeks:
Lalita 8 weeks:
Lalita now:
Annabell now:
A couple days after Christmas, we took home 3 of Pink's rescue girls "on loan". They are wonderful little ladies. They actually came from the same girl we got Colby Jack (my boy rat who died last summer) from, she decided she didn't want them anymore and Pink was kind enough to take them in. Astrid and Gretchen are sisters and were born on my brother's birthday (October 4th), and Saskia came from a pet store but is about the same age. These girls are 15 1/2 months old right now. I fell in love with them very quickly, Astrid and Gretchen are both really outgoing and like to explore. Saskia is a little grouchier, but lovable nonetheless. These girls were causing issues at Pink's house because they aren't super fond of other rats, but we're hoping they will accept Annabell and Lalita since they are young still. If we can't make it work, Pink will allow us to bring them back and adopt 2 or 3 of her other girls, but we're really hoping they will accept each other and I am willing to work to make it happen!
Here are photos of the trio.
Astrid (PEW) and Gretchen (Himi)
Saskia
I forgot to buy a water bottle so they got to drink out of a mug the first night!
I also have 4 bunnies. I love my bunnies! This is Rory, he is almost 3. He is my special boy. He hates other bunnies and doesn't really care for people who aren't me, but he is very sweet and loves to cuddle with me when he feels like it.
This is Skyler. He turned 2 a couple weeks go. In December he was diagnosed with a very serious illness that will shorten his lifespan considerably. There will be many vet visits in the future for us as he deteriorates, but so far he is acting like his normal happy self in spite of being sick. He is a wonderful rabbit with a great personality. He loves everyone and follows me around.
Here is Phoebe Mae. She is my only girl and almost 1 1/2! She is also a great little bunny. She is loving but also pretty feisty and knows what she wants.
This is my Ned. He is the newest bunny addition and came to us rather unexpectedly back in May. He is a wonderful boy, very endearing and sweet. He is kind of clumsy and loves food more than anything else in the world.
And last of all, these are my 2 cockatiels. Arthur is the gray one, he is 11 years old and I've had him since he was a baby. Poppet is the yellow one, she is only about a year and a half old. They are best friends. They're both nice little birdies.
I've written a lot and posted a lot of pictures, but didn't want to leave anyone out! Feel free to ask me any questions and I'd be thrilled if anyone comments on my pets. I will try to update this journal on a regular basis and will undoubtedly post a lot of pictures.
